Wednesday, December 19, 2012

A Shiny, Happy Vegan Alphabet for Optimists

For the past four years, I have done myannualDisgruntledAlphabet and I looooove
doing it because it’s a great opportunity to vent while still having fun. I was
thinking this last time, though, that I really ought to make an alphabet that
reflects the true spirit of veganism and all the priceless personal bonuses we
reap by adopting it. It was less delicious to write - because I was born to
snark, apparently – but more reflective of veganism at its best, which brings
so much good into the world and into our lives.

A is for alignment,
because our values are in alignment with our actions and that is a really rare,
beautiful thing. A is also for the animals
because we can look at them in the eye and know that we are not harming them.

B is for the benefits
of veganism, of which there are myriad, from health advantages to a very
reduced ecological footprint, and many points in between.

C is for consistency
and compassion and clear conscience, each of which is a
renewable resource that fills our lives with meaning and depth.

D is for direct,
because if you want to create a long-lasting, positive change in the world
immediately, compassionate living is a direct pipeline to it.

E is for that exquisite
feeling of knowing that we are laying the groundwork for a new world through our
actions.

F is for full
potential: We are not making excuses for ourselves because we are truly
striving to do our best.

G is for gratitude
that we can live as vegans today without making any sacrifices but reaping an
abundance of rewards.

H is for the hens
whom we get to feed, pet and hold at animal sanctuaries without feeling guilty
or ashamed.

I is for inexpensive
because the least affluent people in the world are often vegan by default: whole
grains, legumes, local and seasonal vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds are
the most healthful way to eat (thus fewer doctor bills) and are usually much
more affordable than animal products and flesh.

J is for justice,
for knowing that we have integrated our convictions about fairness and equality
into our lives instead of just giving lip-service to them. J is also for the joy that comes from knowing this.

K is for kicking
the unnecessary habits that harm and kills others.

L is for love:
why would we kill when we could love and live with an attitude of abundance instead?

M is for more,
as in more inner-peace, more consistency, more gratitude, more honesty, more
passion.

N is for nomore disconnect between our deepest
values and our actions.

O is for our convictions, which give our lives purpose and meaning.

P is for the peace
we feel from practicing what we preach.

Q is for questioning
the status quo, which gives us so much strength and confidence to create
the compassionate, independent lives we want.

R is for rejecting
the habits that contradict our ethics.

S is for solutions:
we are living examples of people who are creating solutions to the destruction
animal agriculture wreaks and it also stands for the dynamic shift we are bringing to the world.

T is for truth,
because living with knowledge and self-honesty are liberating.

U is for undoing
the damage and the pride that comes from that.

V is for vegan
because that’s what it’s all about.

W is for wherever
we are, we can always do our best in that situation.

X is for X,
the mark we make on each day of the calendar until it’s our annual
veganniversary day of gratitude.

Y is for yes,
we can easily make a positive difference with our actions.

Z is for zealous
because sometimes we can be a little overly so but everyone has his or her
faults.It’s better to err in the
direction of passion over passivity, right?

and are all the plants you eat wind pollinated or is the exploitation of bees as industrial pollinators alright. Is it okay to "murder" plants which are living things, just because of which kingdom they belong to? Or is veganism just a movement where you draw a completely arbitrary line and get to act self righteous about it?

Anon of Jan 25, 2013 at 6:55. I think you forgot to read "A" of this Blog's Dec 13, 2012 post:

"A is for Anatomy because, come on! Learn it. There is a freaking world of difference between a tomato plant and a cow and NO, they both don’t feel pain. We don’t live in a world in which we can pretend to not know about sentience, neurological and circulatory systems, brain waves and so forth. Anyone who asserts that plants feel pain – anyone who is older than, say, five - is just illustrating how willing he or she is to abandon logic and escape to the puffy, swirly kingdom of Magical Thinking [see M] instead."